Wire connection and method of making same



' Nov. 22, 1932. D REA ER 1,888,850

WIRE CONNECTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Jan. 29, 1951 m 'InventoT": Frank G De Reamer,

Hts Attorney.

Patented Nov. 2 2 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. ,DE REAMER, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTBIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK WIRE CONNECTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application filed January 29, 1931. SerialNo. 512,095.

The present invention relates to the connection of wires, such as electrical conductors, to conducting members, such as contactplates, contact prongs or contact fingers. It is especially well adapted for connectlng a stranded electrical conductor to a contact plate, such as the contact plate of a small switch, and accordingly the invention is specifically illustrated and described as applied to this use. It is to be understood, however, that this is only by way of example and that the invention is not limited thereto necessarily.

It has been the practice heretofore in connecting electrical conductors to conducting members to provide a hole through the member, insert an end of the conductor through the hole and then bend the conductor back on itself and twist the end one or more times about the adjacent portion of the conductor. This gives a satisfactory electrical connection but has the serious drawback; especially for some applications, that it results in a thickness at the point of connection equal to the thickness of the member plus two diameters of the wire. An instance where this drawback is especially serious is in the case of small switches such as are used in connection with radio sets, which switches may have a.

Q N cause a short circuit.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved wire connection and an improved method of making the same. My improved wiring connection results in a connection no wider than the thickness of the conducting member with which the connection is made, and by my improved method I am enabled to make the-connections expeditiously and at low cost for labor.

For a consideration .of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following specification and the claims appended thereto.

of a connection. embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the conducting member and the conductor prior to being connected together; Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating diagrammatically the method of making the connection, and Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section, il-' lustrating a fixture for use in making the connection.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a conducting member or contact plate'which in the present instance is one of the contactterminals of a small electric switch, 2 being the portion with which the connector of the switch contacts.

According to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, I provide an undercut slot 3 ,in the member 1, the mouth 4: of the slot being of a width about In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective View equal to or slightly greaterlhan the diameter of the wire which is to be connected to the member. 5 indicates the wire connected to the member, it being a stranded conductor as illustrated. The end of the wire 6 is pressed into the undercut slot 3 as is shown clearly in Fig. 1, it being expanded so as to fill completely the slot and be substantially flush with the surfaces of the member 1.- It may be pressed into place sufiiciently tight to hold it, or, if found desirable, after being pressed into place, it may be soldered or brazed to the member. The desirability of soldering/or brazing depends upon the particular appli cation to which the connection is to be put and the requirements of the particular case.

For compressing and expanding the end of i the wire into the slot 3,1 provide a fixture for holding the member 1 with the slot 3 in the position to receive readily the end of the wire. The end of the wire is bent at an angle as is indicated at 7, the bent over end being in.

serted in the slot as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Following this, the end of the wire is compressed between two .die members 8 and 9 to expand the end of the wire into the slot 3. The end of the wire is bent over so that sufficient wire is provided for filling completely Fig. 4 shows somewhat diagrammatically a die fixture for performing the pressing operation. 10 indlcates a frame upon which is mounted a die block 11 provided with a recess 12 in which is a movable spring ad comprising two blocks of metal '13 an 14 suitably fastened together and supported by spring 15; In blocks 13 and 14 is an opening 16 in which die member 9 is supported. The lower end of the die member 9 rests on the base of frame 10 in that it is stationary. Fastened on the to lot the spring pad is a thin plate 17 provi ed with an opening of a size and shape to receive and hold a member 1 with the slot 3 in line with the die membars 8 and 9. Die member 8 is carried by a rod 18 which is adapted to be moved downward by suitable means (not shown) for bringing the two die members together. In

. block 11 is a curved recess 19 of a size to receivethe wire 5.

. In use, a conductlng member 1 is placed (in the opening in plate 1? after which the bent down end of the wire 5 is inserted in the upper end of opening 16 asis shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The 11 per die member 8 is then forced down-war its end engaging over the T end v2 of the wire. As the upper die member 8 is lowered, it forces the spring pad downward on the lower die member 9, and the end 7 is com ressed into slot 3 between the two die mem ers. The upper die member is then raised and the wire with the conducting member 1 thereon is removed from the fixnot thicker than the plate to which the wire 1 is connected.

What ll claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is 2-- 1. A. connection comprising a member havmg a transverse open ended slot extending 'rearwardly from anedge thereof and a wire expanded in the slot to fill the same.

2. A connection comprising a flat member havln a transverse undercut open ended slot neeaeeo wardly from an edge of the member and expending an end of the conductor in the slot.

6. The method of connecting a conductor to a flat member which comprises providing a transverse open ended undercut slot extending rearwardly from an edge of the member andexpanding an end of the conductor in the slot.

7. The method of'c'onnecting a conductor to a flat member which comprises providing a transverse open ended undercut slot extending rearwardly from an edge of the member, inserting a down-turned end of a conductor into the slot, and upsetting such end to fill the slot.

8. A connection comprising a member having a transverse open ended nndecut slot extending rearwardly from an edge thereof and a conductor having an end bent on itself and expanded to fill the slot.

In, witness whereof, I havehereunto set my hand.

FRANK C. DEREAMER.

exten ing rearwardly from an edge thereof and a wire expanded to fillthe slot.

3. A connection comprisin a fiat member having a transverse open en ed slot extend mg rearwardli from an ed e thereof and a stranded wire aving its end expanded to fill the slot. n p

A connection comprising a member having. 'a transverse undercut openended slot extending rearwardly from an 'ed a:

go thereof,

and a stranded :aconductor having its end ex- 

